Band Rings

Students will create at least three band rings. Students will use the cutting pliers, sandpaper, ring mandrel, rawhide mallet, solder station, hand files, buffer, polisher, ultrasonic, and jewelry saw to make the three rings.

This unit has four parts that are repeated for three rings: measuring ring size, forming metal in preparation to solder, soldering, finishing (pickling, filing, sanding, buffing, polishing, ultrasonic), and two parts that happen once: adding an embellishment, and documentation of the finished work (photos, email, reflection).

Overview Unit Goal

Picture

Composition Concepts

  • Surface Texture
  • Round, Half Round, Flat Wire
  • Embellishments

Technical Skills

  • Hammering
  • Soldering
  • Sanding
  • Filing
  • Buffing 
  • Polishing
  • Sawing

Tools & Supplies

  • Rawhide Mallet & Mandrel
  • Soldering Station
  • Jewelry Saw
  • Sandpaper
  • Hand Files
  • Buffer
  • Polisher

Technical Skills Videos

Order of Work

Determine Your Ring Size
  • Use the ring sizers to find your ring size
  • Use the Ring Sizing Chart to find the length of metal you need for that size​
Ring One: Base Metal
  • Choose Copper, Brass, or Nickel
  • Choose intended finish: smooth, textured, twisted
  • Sandpaper, Rawhide Mallet, Mandrel
  • Soldering Station
  • Pickle, Files, Sandpaper, Buffer, Polisher, Ultrasonic
Start thinking about which ring you wan to add an embellishment to & what type of embellishment it will be
Ring Two: Base Metal
  • Choose Copper, Brass, or Nickel
  • Choose intended finish: smooth, textured, twisted
  • Sandpaper, Rawhide Mallet, Mandrel
  • Soldering Station
  • Pickle, Files, Sandpaper, Buffer, Polisher, Ultrasonic
​Ring Three: Sterling Silver
  • Sandpaper, Rawhide Mallet, Mandrel
  • Soldering Station
  • Pickle, Files, Sandpaper, Buffer, Polisher, Ultrasonic
​Embellishment
  • Choose one of your rings to add an embellishment to
  • Jewelry Saw
  • Soldering Station
  • Pickle, Files, Sandpaper, Buffer, Polisher, Ultrasonic

Ring Planning

Choosing & Getting the Right Amount of Metal

When asking for your metal, use the following order:

METAL (Copper, Brass, Nickel, Silver)

WIRE TYPE  (Round, Half Round, Square, Sheet)
​
LENGTH (Number from the ring length chart)

Surface Texture

WIRE RINGS (ROUND, HALF ROUND, OR SQUARE)
You can choose to texture wire rings with a ball peen hammer for a hammered texture, twisting wire in advance of making the ring for a twisted ring, or sanding smooth for a classic finish.
SHEET METAL RINGS 
You can use a textured plate to create a textured surface on a sheet metal ring
Run the sheet metal through the mill before filing the ends or forming the ring.

Sanding & Forming the Metal in Preparation for Soldering

Soldering Station

Finishing the Ring

Embellishments

4 Photos of your Rings

  • Use a solid background (no distracting lines, shadows, table, or other stuff) like the photo cube
  • Use quality lighting (soft shadow from ring only)
  • Photo should be in focus, with ring centered
  • One photo of each ring separately
  • One photo of all three rings together
  • Four photos in total

Email an image of your 3 Rings

Grading Criteria